Return pump too big?

[yeahcheetah]

I bought a mag7 as a return pump but found out it occupied half of the return chamber. Is this good?

 

[meschaefer]

That in itself is fine. To determine if the return is to big, we need to know the size of your tank and the size of the sump.

 

[fritz]

I bought a mag7 as a return pump but found out it occupied half of the return chamber. Is this good?

Yes it's fine. My return chamber was designed so that my pump takes up almost all of it.

 

[PalmTree]

As long as water doesn't overflow out of the top of your tank you're good! Make sure your overflows can handle the gph.

 

[yeahcheetah]

Thanks, is it OK to install a valve on the return pipe to limit the return flow rate?

 

[Dace]

Thanks, is it OK to install a valve on the return pipe to limit the return flow rate?

yes it is. most people install true union ball valves so they can remove the pump for cleaning and also use them to turn down the flo if necessary

 

[TimberTDI]

Also, you should check that the sump can handle any overflow in case of a power outage.

 

[rfc]

One problem you might have with a very small return chamber is evaporation. When I had a small return chamber I had to make sure I topped off my tank every day or the return chamber would run dry. An autotop off would solve this problem but I dont have the room


Regards

RFC

 

[yeahcheetah]

Thanks guys. I did consider the evaporation issue, but currently I am tight on budget so I guess what I am going to do is to place a bottle above the sump and put a drip line in it. That way I can also supplement the tank with Ca or so. Better than pour in water everyday.

 

[fritz]

EEEEK
Get an auto top off. It's much cheaper than buying a new pump when this one runs dry due to the water level getting too low.

 

[Phyl]

THIS is the cheapest and most reliable solution to auto topoff I've run across. We use them on both of our systems and they continue to perform flawlessly. We combine this with our Aquacontroller to allow the top off to run 4x a day for a minute a piece which is enough to refill the 6gpd that we evap without any issues.

 

[o0jmadr0x0o]

had the same problem with evaporation and a small return pump chamber. autotopoff.com saved me a whole lot of agrivation...and i was able to leave my tank unattended for more then 24hrs. one of my better investments

 

[yeahcheetah]

The site is down But thanks.